~Izzy~

Over the next few weeks, we had been doing things with Lyn, like learning how to fight and getting to know more about each other. Apparently, he came from some really esteemed family that had exiled him once he turned eighteen for not presenting, and he found a home with a group of dormants that took him in. He didn't want us to leave with him just yet because he wanted to verify the story about our mother skipping town with some friends he had in the city. Apparently, he'd known Mom from some time ago, and he didn't think it was likely for her to just leave us, either. That, and he didn't want to risk having an Alpha hunting us down because he ran away with their pups. Even if Father did treat us like shit, he hated not having us around to control. He was weird like that. I think that's why he was so angry that Mom wasn't around anymore. It ruined his twisted idea of what it meant to be in control all the time.

One night when Father was supposed to be on patrol, Lyn came to see us at home. He'd found evidence that Mom, in fact, did not leave town, nor had she met her "true mate" because her true mate was our father. What he told us next was even harder to accept than the lie we had previously been told. Our mom was dead—or should I say murdered. The word around the city was that our father had killed her in a fit of rage over some ridiculous disagreement, and the Prime helped him cover it up. In the midst of Lyn telling us the truth and showing us proof, Father had returned home unexpectedly.

We all confronted him with the truth, and he immediately lashed out with his magic. The fight was very brutal, and he beat us all pretty badly. When I think about it, I'm always shocked that we survived his wrath. The only reason we're alive today is because of Lyn. He killed our father by injecting him with a wolfsbane syringe he carried around for protection, and that's also the main reason we had to flee the Sol pack territory. However, we've been grateful to him ever since, and we vowed to follow him for the rest of our lives. That day changed us forever, especially Roselyn. I'm pretty sure my father was the first person Lyn ever killed, but he never let it seem like it affected him, even though we knew that it did. Roselyn was tough, but the more we got to know him, the more we realized he was just like us—most of the time, afraid and alone.

———

I woke up from the dream when Jodi burst through the doors of the infirmary, looking at me. It was clear that she was frazzled by something.

"Did you just—"

"Have a dream?" I asked, cutting her off.

"Yeah.... we haven't—what does this mean?" she asked, looking worried.

"We'll talk about it later. Let's worry about one thing at a time," I said, and she nodded in agreement.

"You guys are too loud," a groggy voice said from behind us.

We both spun around to see Roselyn staring at the ceiling with tired, bloodshot eyes. Rushing to his side, I was about to check his temperature with the back of my hand when he spoke again. "Don't even think about it, four eyes," he said in a raspy voice that made Jodi and me chuckle.

"Welcome back, you hard-headed bastard," Jodi said, smiling with glazed eyes.

"I'll go get Senex," I said, starting to leave, but I felt a tug on my shirt. I turned to see Lyn holding it and looking at me. "Is he mad?" he asked, referring to Senex.

I shook my head with tear-filled eyes. "He won't be now that you're awake, Lyn. Just flutter those eyes of yours, and whatever anger he has will melt away," I said, causing him to smile weakly.

Once I left the infirmary and closed the door behind me, I leaned against it and exhaled heavily, clenching my eyes shut to hold back my tears of joy. "Thank you, Apollo," I whispered to myself before pushing off the door and running down the hall.

I found Senex in the production lab with a few of the scientists. They were all inside an all-white, climate-controlled glass room, wearing blue full-body hazmat suits when he noticed me running toward the room. He immediately signaled for someone to take his place as he entered the decontamination chamber to exit the lab. The process of making suppressants was far more complicated than I'd ever be able to understand, but it involved a lot of dangerous chemicals—that much I did know how to pronounce. 

"What's happened, lad? Is it Roselyn?" he asked frantically, snatching off his mask and goggles.

"He's awake!" I said, smiling, and was crushed as Senex picked me up and started jumping in a circle in his excitement. I was honestly shocked by the old man's strength for a moment. "Please, Senex, you're crushing me," I said through strained breaths.

"Oh! I'm sorry, lad! Let's not keep him waiting, then," he said excitedly with a hearty chuckle, and began to waddle off without another word.

———

~Roselyn~

I was on my tenth cup of ice water that Jodi had gotten me since I'd woken up, but no matter how much I drank, I just couldn't get hydrated, nor was it helping me cool down. It felt as if I were sitting inside a sauna at a bathhouse set to the highest temperature, and the sweat just wouldn't stop. The sensation of my clothes sticking to me with every move was repulsive. Jodi had gotten me one of the industrial fans we had in storage that I was sitting in front of to get some relief; thankfully, it was helping a little. Senex came into the infirmary with Izzy looking excited, then worried when they saw me hunched over the fan, breathing heavily.

"What in Apollo's name is going on?" Senex said, coming to put the back of his hand on my forehead. I turned away to avoid his touch, and he immediately reprimanded me. "None of that now, pup. This is serious," he said sternly, coming closer to make contact. The stinging sensation from his touch only lasted a few seconds before he jolted back violently. "Gods!!" he exclaimed, holding his hand as if he'd gotten burned.

"Senex?" Jodi said, confused, rushing toward him in concern. "What is it? What happened?"

"He's— I think...." He paused for a moment and then cleared his throat. "Jodi, go get two more industrial fans from the storage unit. Izzy, go to the cooling block and bring a few ice packs. Please, both of you, hurry!" he said, rushing us out the door.

"But—what's wrong with Lyn?" Izzy stammered, trying to ask his question.

"I'll explain later, but right now you need to hurry!" And with that, Senex closed the door and turned to look at me with a dire expression. I was confused but also too tired and breathing too heavily to get my words out properly. "Wh-What's... happening... to me?" I asked through labored breaths.

He pulled up a chair next to me after grabbing a cool bucket of water and started lightly dabbing my forehead with a towel he'd just rung out. The sensation felt heavenly, but he still hadn't answered my question. "Senex..." I said, the tone in my voice clear as he paused.

He stared at me with sad eyes, and with a heavy sigh, he finally spoke. "You met him, didn't you?" he said, looking at the towel in his hands to avoid my gaze.

I shook my head in confusion, not quite understanding his question. "Met... who?" I said.

He looked up at me, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was about to cry. "Your... your mate, lad." I couldn't believe my ears as I stared at him owlishly; my eyes fluttered a few times as I stumbled over my words. 

"My-my what?!" I asked, sitting back away from the fan, thinking maybe it was just too loud and I misheard him.

He sat up in the chair, correcting his posture, and cleared his throat again with a nervous cough. "Did you meet an Alpha today, an Alpha of the Luna specifically?" he asked, staring at me intently.

"I-... yes, two actually, but I don't understand—"

"What were their names?" he asked, cutting me off and leaning forward in the chair.

"What?...." I asked, confused.

"Their names, lad! Their names?!" he pressed.

"Erm, well, of course, Johnny—"

"No, no, no, not that blockheaded oaf!" he said, waving his hand dismissively with a look of disgust. "Who else?" he pressed.

"Well, the other one's name was... What was his name?... Tsuki, I think. He's the Alpha of Moon City, and he treated me really weird. He protected me more than once, and kept saying really weird things...." I said, trailing off, thinking about his face and those red eyes again.

Senex dropped the bucket of water as he stood up from the chair. "Oh, Gods," he said in a whisper, staring at me with wide eyes. He began to pace back and forth in front of me, mumbling things I couldn't make out to himself.

"Senex," I said, but he ignored me, still pacing.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he rambled, running his hand through his Afro.

"Senex...," I said again, still not getting a response.

"It was supposed to be blocked; she said it was so! I'm so ill-prepared, and this is way too sudden," he continued to ramble frantically.

"SENEX!!" I shouted at him, grabbing his arm, finally getting his attention.

With the snap of his neck, he looked at me, his eyes filled with worry, and quickly bent down to one knee in front of me. "Roselyn, what I'm about to say to you, lad, please, please, don't take it as disrespect; just listen to me, okay?" he asked, looking at me with a serious expression. 

My mouth gaped, but no words came out, so I just nodded in agreement, even though I didn't understand. 

"I've known you for a very long time, even before you joined us dormants out here in the wild. I've also lived a long life and seen an unimaginable amount of things. I once cared for someone who presented very late in life, way beyond the standard time frame given for most wolves to begin producing pheromones." He could see that I was still confused about why he was telling me these things, especially about pheromones, and decided to say what he meant directly. "Your symptoms, in my experience, are exactly the same as an adolescent wolf going into their first heat."

I laughed immediately at what he was saying, not taking him seriously. "Oh, fuck off, Senex!" I said with a smile and a light chuckle, but his expression remained one of dire seriousness. Studying his face for a moment, I felt a lump forming in my throat. "What are you trying to say to me, Sen?" I asked in an angry tone, looking at him with a furrowed brow.

"I'm—well... It appears to me that, I—I mean—"

"Say it plainly, Senex!" I shouted, causing him to jump.

"...I'm sorry, Roselyn, but you're in heat, pup," he said in a somber tone.